For Henry
by the-lucky-ones
Summary: What happens when Emma's ex turns up in Storybrooke? Non-established Swan Queen. AUish.
1. Chapter 1

There are not many things in life that I'm good at. However, I do consider myself a good sheriff. I like to think that I'm alert (most of the time), I can always spot a lie, I have a knack for finding people, I'm also pretty darn observant. At least, that's what I choose to believe.

So when I stop dead in my tracks while walking home from dinner with Mary Margaret, I lie to myself and try to trick my mind into thinking that it's because of those fine sheriff skills of mine. But if I'm being honest, it wasn't the suspicious vehicle parked across the street at Granny's that threw me, but the person getting out of that all too familiar truck. Charlotte.

My breathing hitches and by now Mary has noticed that I'm no longer walking beside her. I think she may be calling my name, but I'm still struck dumb on the sidewalk. She follows my gaze to the mystery woman across the street.

"Emma, are you okay? Who's that?"

I manage to shake off the stupor and grab Mary's arm, steering her down an alley between two shops.

"I don't know. I'll find out tomorrow. Why don't we cut through this way? It's faster."

Mary struggles to keep up with my long strides, and I feel her pulling on my arm.

"I don't know about this, Emma. Why don't we just stick to the sidewalk? It's pretty dark."

I force out a shaky laugh, my mind still reeling with questions, but I try to put on a mask of indifference for Mary Margaret's sake.

"You're with the town sheriff, what could possibly happen?"

* * *

><p>It's not until I'm up in my room, after managing to dodge Mary's questions and her request to play Scrabble, that I'm able to let what just happened sink in.<p>

I kick off my boots and peel off my jacket, letting it tumble down to the floor in a heap, before flinging myself onto my bed and throwing my arms over my face while muffling a groan.

_Why the hell is she here? _I never in a million years would have expected someone from my past to show up in Storybrooke. _Especially not her. _But it's not like there's been many people in my life that could show up anyway. She just looked so out of place here. Even though it had been dark, I still managed to see that short, spiky, dark hair and the tattoos that covered her arms. Storybrooke didn't even have a tattoo shop! She really didn't belong her!

I groan again and shimmy my way under my blankets, still fully clothed. I take my anger out on my pillow, punching it into shape and trying to get comfortable. Even though it's only 8:30 at night I figure sleep is the best option. _Maybe she'll be gone in the morning. _I'm lucky I had a pretty exhausting day and as I shift to get more comfortable I hope that I'll be able to fall asleep quickly. I do, but not before wondering for what feels like the hundredth time that night, _what the hell is my ex doing in Storybrooke?_

* * *

><p>I'm awoken by my alarm feeling groggy and extremely uncomfortable. <em>Maybe it wasn't the smartest decision to sleep in my jeans. <em>I untangle myself from my sheets and push myself up off the bed. _Well that was a weird fucking dream. _I slip out of my clothes in search of fresh ones, sniffing an abandoned tank top to check if it's clean. _It'll do. _ I laugh when I think about Charlotte being here. _As if that would ever happen. That's not a dream, it would be a nightmare. _

Once dressed, I head downstairs and find Mary Margaret filling a travel mug with coffee.

"Mm coffee," I saunter into the kitchen grabbing an apple off the counter as Mary holds out the mug. "You're a savior, thanks." I lean against the counter and take a sip.

"According to Henry, you're the _savior_." Mary says with a smile. "Are you feeling any better this morning?" Mary gives me a searching look over the rim of her mug.

"Better?" I ask, confused.

"Yeah, you said you went to bed early last night because you had a headache? You still don't look too great, do you think you're coming down with something?" She looks concerned, setting down her mug and stepping closer.

"I'm fine, mom." I roll my eyes and check the time on the stove. "Well I've got to head out, see you tonight?" I grab my keys off the counter and head to the door.

"Of course! Have a great day!" Mary calls from the kitchen.

"Yeah, you too! Say hello to Henry for me?" I call back.

"I will!"

I leave the apartment and get into my banged up bug, ready to start the morning patrol. It's kind of a joke, nothing really happens in this town, but it's routine.

As usual, everything is the same as it is every morning. I drive around the outside of the town and make my way towards "downtown" Storybrooke. It's not until I'm nearly passing Granny's that I see the truck. I just about spill my scalding coffee down my front.

"Shit!" I slam on my breaks and pull over to the side of the road to breathe. "No, no, no, no… I thought it was a dream!" I mumble to myself.

_I've got to get out of here. _I start the car again and pull out quickly onto the road, almost hitting Dr. Hopper and his dog in the process. I lazily wave my hand in apology as I take off for the station.

Once I'm safely inside my office with the door firmly shut, I pace the floor and try to stop my trembling hands. I didn't even realize until now that I was shaking. _Relax. _I try to breathe and think. I know I'm overreacting. _So what if Char's in town? I'll just find her and tell her to leave. _I know it's not that simple, but it's a comforting thought. I really never thought I'd see her again. We had been dating (if you could call it that) for about three months before I left Boston. Truth be told, I had plans to skip town not very long after Henry showed up. I was getting too comfortable, getting too close to people there. Well, Charlotte mostly.

My breathing has returned to normal now, so I take a seat at my desk and try to busy myself with the stacks of paperwork I've been neglecting. _You can do this, Swan. _I just have to hide out here until I'm ready to find Char. Then I'll tell her to leave, and things can go back to normal. _I just wish I hadn't left my coffee in the car. _

I actually manage to put a small dent in the tedious paperwork after working all morning. But I've been sitting hunched over for too long and my back is killing me. The small distraction the pain caused snaps me out of my productive mood and now my mind is wandering. _What am I going to do about this? What if she talks to other people in town about me? _Oh no. I try to focus on my work, but I find myself reading the same line over and over again.

Suddenly, there's a loud, shrill ringing that makes me jump and knock a stack of folders off my desk. I pick up the phone to stop the offensive noise.

"Shit," I grumble surveying the mess I've made. "Yeah?"

"You have such a way with words, Miss Swan." The honey-like voice on the other end of the phone could only belong to one person. Who also happens to be one of the last people I want to talk to at the moment. I'm starting to feel that headache I made up last night coming on.

"Mayor Mills, uh, sorry," I stumble my words. "It's been a long day."

"It's only 1 in the afternoon, Sheriff. Surely you couldn't have had too hard of a morning." Her patronizing tone just about sets me off, but an argument would defeat the purpose of our truce, so I take a breath.

"You're right. What can I help you with, Madame Mayor?" I try to make my voice sound as pleasant as possible, but I'm not so sure I manage to pull it off.

I hear her sigh before she replies. "One of my meetings this afternoon has been pushed back to 2:30, so I will not be able to pick up Henry from school today." Her tone is more amiable now, at least she's trying as well. "I was wondering if you would be able to pick him up and take him to Granny's. He can do his homework there and then perhaps the three of us," Her words are starting to sound more forced. "Could have dinner together? That is, unless you've had too hard of a day." Her biting tone is back, but I know that's only a show, she always has to have the upper hand, always tries to sound indifferent.

"Of course! Thank you, Regina. I really appreciate it." I don't have to force myself to sound sincere.

She doesn't say anything for a couple seconds, and I start to think maybe she's hung up, but then she's talking again. "You're welcome, Emma. For Henry, right?"

"Right. For Henry."

I hear a click and I hang up the phone while leaning back in my chair and let out a long breath. It really has been a long day, and it's not even close to being over. Spending time with Henry will be nice, but dinner with him and Regina? I know I'll have to be on my best behavior, and mind my temper. Something that I'm still finding hard to do, despite our truce.

The illustrious Mayor and I decided to call a truce a couple months back. For Henry's sake. After all our bickering and threats that never seemed to come to fruition, we realized we were doing more harm than good, and our fighting was having a negative effect on Henry. We hashed out a schedule very much like a divorced couple with a kid would. Allotting a certain number of times a week I could spend with Henry that worked around both of our schedules. It was all very civil, and I found she and I could work well together, when we wanted too. She even let me go to his lackluster birthday party. (They really needed to work on his friendship skills.) But we've never broken that schedule, or had dinner with the three of us together, until today.

I checked my watch. 2:00 PM. I have and hour to kill until it's time to get the kid before heading to Granny's. _Wait. Granny's. _I slap my forehead, making my headache worse. Char will be at Granny's. _This is not going to end well. _I drag my hand through my hair and decide that I'll face the problem when it happens, and it's no use worrying about now. _She might have already left after all. _

I while away the next hour by trying to reorganize the papers I sent flying earlier. That endeavor proves to be pointless however, and I start to find my office suffocating. There's still half an hour before Henry's done school, so I decide to walk over instead of taking the car. Some fresh air will help clear my head. I make sure to check my appearance before I leave. If I'm going to be seeing Charlotte later, I want to look my best. I also don't want to look too frumpy next to the always immaculate Regina. I frown at my appearance, wishing I had spent more time getting ready this morning. I shrug off my jacket and walk back into my office to change into the spare shirt I keep there incase of times like these. I strip off my tank top and pull the plain black collared shirt on quickly, doing up the buttons before tucking it into my jeans and walking back to the mirror. _Better. Maybe I'll leave one extra button undone. Just for fun. _I roll up the sleeves and take off for Henry's school.

It doesn't take me long to reach the school. I walked quickly, letting my thoughts wander. As expected, the fresh air did wonders on my head. It's not like it was in Boston. The air is different here. I lose myself in my thoughts of Boston and my other previous "homes" as I lean against a tree waiting for Henry. The bell snaps me out of my reverie and I look up to see Mary Margaret holding open the front doors to let the kids out. Henry doesn't see me at first. He just walks slowly, away from the other kids dragging his backpack behind him. When he sees me, his face splits into a wide smile that kind of warms my heart. He swings his bag over his shoulder and bolts over. He crashes into me, knocking the air from my lungs.

"Hey kid," I give him a quick hug and straighten up.

"Hey Emma! What are you doing here, aren't Friday's mom's day?"

"Yeah, but she got held up at work, so it's Super Emma to the rescue." He smiles up at me. "We're going to Granny's, your mom's gonna meet us there when she's done."

"Awesome!" I pat him on the head, ruffling his hair.

"Yeah, uh wait here for a second, okay? I've got to go talk to Miss Blanchard for a sec."

"Okay!"

I jog over to Mary Margaret and let her know about the change of plans, and that I won't be home for dinner.

"Okay, have a good time! And good luck!" She adds with a smile.

"Thanks, I'll see you later!" I give her a wave and head back to Henry.

Once I reach him he starts rattling on about his new comic books. I try to follow along but I get lost quickly. I'm just glad he hasn't decided that we're all X-Men characters yet. He seems to have put "Operation Cobra" on the back burner now that his life at home is getting better. I think some part of him still believes, but he hasn't said anything about it recently.

Soon enough we're at Granny's and I feel like Henry's hit me in the stomach again when I see the truck still parked out front. I steady myself and take a breath, ready for whatever happens. I pull open the door and let Henry in first. The tinkle the door makes causes the only two people in the place look up from where they're sitting at the bar. I ignore both of them, steering Henry over to a booth and sit down, making sure my back is toward Charlotte. Henry sits across from me and goes to pull out his comics.

"Oh no, no comics right now, kid. Homework first." He tries to pout but I just laugh. "Yeah, that's not going to work on me. Homework. I can help if you need it."

"Alright." He sighs, defeated. He starts to dig in his bag for his stuff when Ruby comes over.

"Hello there!" She says cheerfully, but with a mischievous look in her eyes, pulling out a notepad. "What can I get for you two?"

"Two hot cocoas with cinnamon please, Ruby." I reply with a small smile. She's up to something.

"Coming right up, Sheriff!" Ruby says cheerfully before leaning closer to me. "You have an admirer." She straightens up and heads behind the counter.

"Uh, kid, you work on that for a bit, I'll be right back."

"Okay." He opens up his math book and I ruffle his hair again, making it even messier. _Regina's going to hate that._ I slide out of the booth and head over to the brunette at the bar.

I feel her eyes bore into me as I walk over, and she shoots me that smile I know all too well. I can feel my heart racing. _Keep it cool. _As I get nearer, I see she looks the same as I remember, even though it's been almost a year since I've last seen her.

"What are you doing here?" I'm pleasantly surprised at how hard my voice sounds, I thought for sure it would crack.

"I came here for you." Same voice too. It brings back a rush of forgotten memories.

"Really? You're not here for the quaint, small town scenery?" I quip back with ease.

"There's that sarcasm I remember so well." She reaches out and strokes my bare arm. I shift so Henry can't see if he were to look over. I feel my face flush. Char looks over my shoulder to Henry.

"Who's the kid?"

I square my shoulders, readying for a fight, she's hit a nerve with the way she called him kid. _Only I can call him kid. _

"That's my son." There's so much venom in my voice I feel it would make even Regina proud. "Look, Char, I don't know why you're here, or how you found me, but I've got a good thing going here and I'm not leaving anytime soon." She tries to say something but I cut her off. I'm on a roll, and if I stop now I might not make it though. "No. I'm not doing this Charlotte. Go home, there's nothing here for you anymore. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go help my _son _with his homework." I see her flinch a bit at the harsh words, but she recovers quickly.

"Wow, this whole MILF thing is kinda hot, Swan."

I want to slap her, but that wouldn't be very fitting for the town sheriff, and I'm trying to be a better role model for Henry or whatever. I end up just turning away quickly and stalking back to the booth. Henry's staring at me.

"Who is that?" He's too smart for his own good, he knows something's up.

"No one, how's the homework coming?" I pick up my lukewarm hot cocoa and take a long sip, wishing it had something stronger in it.

"She doesn't look like she's no one. She's been staring at you this whole time, and she's made you angry."

"Henry." I sigh, "Don't pay attention to her, please. Now, let's get this homework all done before you mom gets here, okay?"

Together, we work through all his homework and order another round of hot cocoas. This time Ruby's added a shot of something strong. _Remember to thank her later. _I see Henry look up towards Charlotte from time to time, but he always looks away when I catch him. He's showing me his new comic when we hear the door open. Along with the bell tingling, there's the familiar click of Regina's heels on the tile as she walks over to join us at the table.

"Hey mom!" Henry sends her a wide smile, and I turn to see Regina beam at his greeting. She even aims that smile at me. I'm relieved to see she hasn't noticed Charlotte. Yet.

"Hello Henry." She bends down and places a kiss on his head and tries to flatten his hair like I knew she would, it's a sign that things have changed when he doesn't even flinch. Regina straightens up and turns to me. "Emma." She smiles again. _Wow, two smiles in a minute, and she used my first name! I think that's a new record. _

"Hey, how was the meeting?" I slide over to make room for her beside me, but she's already scooting in beside Henry. _Duh, why would she sit beside me? _I try play off the movement as me just getting comfortable. Regina noticed though, of course. She notices everything.

"Long and incredibility nonsensical. Thank you again for picking up Henry."

"My pleasure." Ruby is at the side of the table now.

"Can I get you anything to drink Mayor Mills?"

"Just a water, and some menus if you please."

"Sure thing! Be right back!" Ruby bounces away and Henry's eyes light up.

"We're having dinner together?" His smile is infectious and both Regina and I smile along with him.

"It would seem so. Although, I remember telling Miss Swan here you were to do your homework before dinner."

"All done, Regina." I reply, keeping my tone light.

"Wonderful." She turns to Henry. "How was your day at school?"

Regina and Henry talk about their days while I look over the menu Ruby brought over, even though I already know my order. I find myself wondering what this must look like to Charlotte. Me sitting here with Regina and Henry. I drum my fingers anxiously on the table knowing Regina's going to notice Charlotte eventually.

"How about you, Emma?" I snap my head up when I realize Regina's talking to me, and that she's used my first name again. "Was your afternoon better than your morning?" There seems to be genuine care behind her usually cold eyes. It throws me off a bit.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so. I went for a walk, the fresh air helped a bit."

"Well that's good, dear."

"Is your friend going to join us for dinner, Emma?" Henry turns to me. _And here we go._

"No, kid. No she's not." I see Regina look confused, something that doesn't happen often. If I weren't so stressed I'd probably enjoy seeing her like that.

"What friend?" Her eyes scan the diner, landing on Charlotte at the bar for the first time.

"No one, just an old, ah, friend from Boston. She's not staying." I'm not sure what made me add that last part, I just felt it needed to be said.

I turn to look at Char, who's smiling at us, and getting up from her stool.

"Oh no." I mutter under my breath.

Charlotte's at the table now, holding her hand out towards Regina. Regina's looking at the appendage as if it just called her every bad name in the book. It's the same look I've gotten many times, but I haven't seen it recently. I forgot how intimidating it could be. Charlotte pulls her hand back like it's been burned.

"Hello," Charlotte shifts uncomfortably under Regina's scrutiny and they both turn to me.

"Aren't you going to introduce your friend, dear?" Her words are too sweet.

"Uh, yeah, sorry. Um, Regina, this is Charlotte Hurst. Charlotte, this is Mayor Mills." I decide using her formal title may win me points.

"Pleasure." Regina says, her voice cold as ice as she turns back to Char.

Charlotte just keeps smiling, but slides into the bench beside me.

"Mom, can I have a grilled cheese sandwich?" Henry breaks the silence when he talks to Regina, who ignores him, her full attention focused on Charlotte beside me.

I see Charlotte quirk and eyebrow at him. "I just wanted to come over and say that you guys make a really cute family. I've got to ask though, how did you manage to get this one to settle down?" As soon as the words leave her lips I groan and try to hide my face with my hands.

"Excuse me?" Regina raises one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows, but Charlotte just prattles on.

"It's just that Em was the biggest commitment-phobe I've ever met, but here she is, with you. And a son!"

"Charlotte. You should go." I feel my face flush, it must be scarlet, but no one seems to be paying me any attention.

Suddenly, Regina stands up. "Henry, go wash up before dinner please, and fix your hair, it's a disaster." Henry slides out and walks towards the washroom looking back once with a confused expression.

Regina sits back down gracefully. She takes a breath to regain composure. "I'm not sure what gave you the impression that Miss Swan here and I are a couple, but, and this is absolutely none of your business, you could not be further from the truth." _Ouch, that stung a bit. _

"Oh! Really? Wow! You guys just seemed so close and happy. I should have know though, this one," Charlotte runs her fingers down my arm again. "Would never settle down. We were together for months and I think you only ever spend the night once! And that was only because you passed out on my couch!" I groan, remembering the night. I'm thankful Henry's not here to hear this. "And then! You just completely disappeared after I said we should go away for your birthday!" She laughs and puts her arm around my shoulders. The weight feels foreign and uncomfortable. She fully turns away from Regina and looks me in the eyes. "But I guess, if you're single, you can come back to Boston with me, babe."

I'm about to protest but Regina takes me by surprise and cuts me off.

"No." I shiver from the power behind that one word. She turns to me. "Emma, dear, I think it's time your _friend _left."

I pull away from Charlotte's hold. "You've got to go, Char." I see Regina smile from the corner of my eye as Charlotte gets up and leaves the restaurant without a word as Henry comes back.

Regina stands up to let Henry in, but doesn't join him back on his bench, instead she settles herself down next to me. I jump as if I've been shocked when her thigh presses up against mine. I move over a bit to give her more room and to put some distance between us.

Ruby, who I noticed had been listening through that whole ordeal, is back to take our orders.

"So that's two grilled cheese sandwiches and a salad, it'll be ready soon!"

She disappears again and Regina engages Henry in conversation, leaving me to think about what the heck just happened. _What was up with Regina saying 'no' like that? _Wasn't me going back to Boston what she wanted? It would have been the perfect opportunity for her to try and get me to leave again. _Does she want me to stay? When did that happen? _I shake my head and observe the brunette out of the corner of my eye. She seems composed, as usual, and fully engrossed with whatever Henry's talking about. I find myself staring. Staring at her perfect hair, her long eyelashes and that small lip scar I've always wondered about, but never had the balls to ask her about. Before I can look away, her eyes flick to me, and a small smile plays on her lips for a split second. It's gone before I can make sure it was even there.

The food arrives, and the conversation lulls as we all enjoy our dinner. I see Regina eyeing my plate while picking through her salad. I spin my plate around so my fries are closer to her and nudge it towards her. She laughs, realizing what I'm doing and grabs a fry and pops it in her mouth. I'm staring at her mouth again. I've never seen someone make eating so sexy. _Wait. What? _Charlotte showing up obviously has me flustered. This is her fault, saying we look like a family. I can't find Regina sexy. She's eyeing the fries again.

"Help yourself." _Oh God, did that sound as suggestive to her as it did to me?_

"Oh I plan to." I swallow hard as she does exactly that, taking more fries.

I feel a blush on my face, so I turn away and look at Henry, who's been watching us. I look away from him too and take a large bite of my sandwich.

"Is Charlotte your ex, Emma?" Henry asks me.

I choke on the food in my mouth and reach for a glass of water. I feel Regina pat me gently on the back as I cough. I take a long sip and try to start breathing properly again. That task is made harder by the small circles Regina's rubbing on my back.

"Are you alright, dear?" She slows her hand, but doesn't pull it away. I miss the motions already.

"Yeah, it just, uh, went down the wrong pipe." I risk looking into her eyes, and am rewarded with a warmth in them I've never seen directed at me before. Usually that look is reserved for Henry. She pulls her hand away and puts it on the bench between us before turning to her son.

"Henry, that was rude." She scolds.

"No, Regina," I place my hand over hers. It seems I can't get enough of the contact. _What is wrong with me? _"It's alright. Henry, what if I say she was?" Regina's hand clenches under mine. I run my finger tips lightly over her knuckles.

He just looks at me evenly and shrugs. "Cool. I liked her tattoos. Can I have ice cream? I ate all my dinner." Regina and I seem to breathe a sigh of relief at the same time. I even laugh a bit. Of course he cares more about ice cream than his birth mother's sexuality. What kid his age wouldn't?

Regina pulls her hand out from under mind and folds it in her lap. "We have ice cream at home. Since it's not a school night, I think that would be acceptable." I notice she's lost the edge to her voice. She sounds tired, yet the fierceness in her eyes tell a different story.

"Can Emma come?"

"I suppose that would be alright. If that's what you'd like?" She adds turning to me.

"Of course."

I pay for dinner and Regina drives us to their house. It's a quick, quiet ride, but it's not uncomfortable like most of the night has been. It's a nice change. But this nice and welcoming Regina is confusing, and a little unnerving. It's as if Charlotte flipped a switch and released this new Regina. I can't help but wonder if it's a trap, if she's going to somehow use this new information about me to hurt me somehow. I feel bad immediately for my thoughts. _Maybe she really is just trying to change._

Soon enough, we're in the Mills kitchen eating ice cream and laughing at something Henry's said. He's so much happier tonight. It looks like this ceasefire between Regina and I is working.

"Alright. I think that's enough fun for one night. It's time for bed, Henry." Regina grabs my empty bowl and stacks it with hers.

Henry pouts at Regina. "No pouting, it's already way past your bedtime." Henry starts to turn to me but I throw my hands up.

"It's not gonna work for me either, kid. I'm with your mother on this one. Get your butt up to bed!" I say with a laugh.

"Fine." He puts his bowl and spoon in the sink and then walks over to Regina and gives her a hug. "Thanks for tonight, mom." Regina just smiles and kisses his head.

Henry walks over to me and gives me a hug too. "Stop stalling!" I give him a light push towards the door.

"I'm going, I'm going!" He gives us a wicked smile that he's obviously picked up from Regina. "Goodnight moms!" He spins around and takes off up the stairs.

"No running." Regina mutters sounding a little shocked by what Henry just said. But soon enough, she's composed herself.

"Cider?" Regina asks, fixing me with a stare.

"Ah, I probably shouldn't, remember what happened last time?"

"Vividly. But you're not driving tonight. Just one glass." She plasters on her best mayoral smile that leaves no room for argument. I nod and follow her into her study.

We sit in silence for a while. I have no idea what to say to her, but I feel like I need to say _something._

"Thank you." There, that's something.

"For what, dear?" Regina asks from the armchair beside me diverting her gaze from the fire to my face.

I take another sip of cider, suddenly nervous. "For letting me spend time with you and Henry tonight."

"Of course. It's what's best for Henry."

"Yes, for Henry." The cider is making my head feel fuzzy. I feel like I need to fill this silence, so I keep on talking. "And I'm sorry about Charlotte tonight. It was…"

"Awkward."

I let out a laugh, whoops, too loud. "Yeah it was." I set my glass down on the coffee table and stare off into the fire. When I start to feel my eyes droop I try to stand up. I'm tipsier than I thought. "I should probably go."

Regina just laughs. Not a mean laugh, a nice laugh. A sexy laugh. _No. Stop it, brain._

"How exactly are you planning on getting home, Emma?" She's set her glass down too and standing much closer to me than I realized. She places her hand on my arm and I feel that same spark from earlier. I'm angry she's so stable, she had the same amount of cider that I did!

"I can walk."

"It's freezing."

"I can call Mary Margaret."

"It's very late."

I huff, frustrated she's being difficult and I throw myself back down onto the chair. "Well it looks like I'm sleeping in this chair then."

"I do have a guest bedroom. You're welcome to stay there."

I peer up at her, trying to focus on her face. "Why are you being so nice? I know we have this truce or whatever-"

"For Henry." She says quietly, holding her hand out to me. "Let's get you into bed, Sheriff."

I let out a dark laugh. I'd make a dirty joke but I can't think of anything. It's probably for the best. I take her hand and she pulls me up close to her.

"Emma."

"You're even more drunk than I though. My name is Regina, dear."

"Was that a joke? Did the Mayor just make a joke?"

"I am capable of humor, _Emma."_

I swing my arm around her shoulders and let her walk me up the stairs to the guest room. _Of course it's even bigger than my room at Mary's. _

Regina leaves me to get changed. I manage to undo my belt and take my jeans and socks off, but the button up shirt is proving to be a challenge. I blow at the hair that's fallen on my face and sigh. _Looks like I'm sleeping in my clothes again. _

Just then, Regina knocks on the door, but doesn't wait for me to answer before walking in carrying a large glass of water. She doesn't even seem to notice I'm standing here in just my underwear and my shirt.

"Drink this, and take these." She pushes the glass of water and two pills into my hands. I take them and quickly chug the water down. Over the rim of glass I think I catch Regina staring at my legs, but her eyes are back to my face when I lower the glass.

"Thanks." I set down the glass on the dresser and try to undo my shirt again, but my hands are clumsy on the small buttons.

"Here," Regina steps closer, getting into my personal space like she always does. I watch her raise her hands and move them towards my chest. "Let me."

I don't argue. I don't even breathe. She doesn't look me in the eye, instead she watches her hands undo each button lightly and with a practiced ease. When she undoes the last button, her fingers lightly breeze against my stomach. My eyes flutter shut and when I open them she's moved away from me. I sigh, not trusting myself to say anything, and shrug my shirt off, leaving it with my jeans on the floor. I walk over the bed and get myself settled under the smooth silk sheets. When I look up, Regina hasn't moved from her spot near the door, but she's facing me, which makes me think she watched me on my way to the bed. I shiver at the though. I'm angry at my body for betraying my mind with these feelings.

Regina seems to thaw out and she moves to sit on the edge of the bed, facing me. Her hands busy themselves with the fringe on the blanket on the end of the bed. "Are you considering going back to Boston?"

She says it so quietly I almost miss it. Almost.

"No. I told you, and Henry, I'm staying. This place is kind of home now. Boston never was."

"Not even with Charlotte?"

"Especially not with Charlotte." I want to reach out and touch her but she's too far away. _Curse this huge bed. _"Plus, all that fighting would just go to waste if I left. I wouldn't even get to enjoy this," I wave my hand between us. "This, kindness. For Henry, right?" I repeat her earlier words.

"Right. For Henry." She stands up and smoothes down her skirt.

"Goodnight, Regina."

"Goodnight, Emma."

* * *

><p>**This is my first Swan Queen fic, please comment and let me know if you like it! I've got a fair bit more written, so updates should be pretty regular, I'm not sure how long it's going to be yet though. Thanks for reading!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Regina's POV**

* * *

><p>I never back down from a challenge and I never lose. So when I saw the fight in that tattooed vagrant's eyes at dinner I knew I had to win. I saw the way her eyes lit up when I told her Emma and I weren't a couple. <em>"This one would never settle down." <em>I'll show her. As far as I'm concerned, I've won the first round. Emma did tell her to leave after all. And she spent the night at my house, not Charlotte's. _Now it's time for the knock out. _

I'm not just doing this to win though. Oh no, this is for Henry too. I saw long ago the way he looks at Emma. It took me months to learn to accept that, and to realize that having Emma around made him happy, which made me happy. If that's what this feeling was. For the first time since this curse was created I can feel something in that deep chasm in my chest. Well, something other than anger and resentment of course. All thanks to Emma, by proxy of course.

_And really, who was she to come here, to my town, and try to take what's mine? _Well, Miss Swan's not mine per say. But she's Henry's. And Henry is most definitely mine. _And_ _I protect what's mine._ He's our son. God, the thought of that going through my head a few months ago would have driven me into a rage, but now? Well, I'm not sure what this feeling is. These new feelings unnerve me because that means things are changing. I know it's all because of Emma, that's been clear from the beginning, but I just can't figure out how the hell, or _how the_ _Storybrooke _as I like to think, she's doing this. And I'll be damned if I let that cretin take her away before I can find out more. Plus, it would kill Henry if she left. So no, Emma Swan is not going anywhere.

This morning I woke up ready to win. I was going to get rid of that nuisance and restore my town to its usual perfection.  
>I may not have been able to get rid of Emma Swan like I had hoped, even though that turned out to be alright in the long run, but I will run that foul Charlotte woman out of Storybrooke today.<p>

I got dressed carefully this morning, picking out my most flattering skirt and a blouse that has caused Emma's eyes to wander in the past. Oh she probably thought she was being subtle, poor dear. She should know by now, _I notice everything. _I made sure every hair on my head was in place and that my makeup was perfect before slipping out of my bedroom and headed downstairs to my study. Once there, I quickly wrote two notes, one for Henry and one for Emma. When I finished, I grabbed the notes and made my way back upstairs after a quick stop in the kitchen.

I slipped into Henry's room first. Leaning over him, I lightly brushed the hair out of his eyes and placed a tender kiss on the top of his head like I used to do whenever he was sick. Memories of when he was younger flooded back to me. But this time they weren't met with a yearning to have those moments back. Why just last week he let me take care of him when he had the stomach flu. _Yes, things were certainly changing._I straightened up and left the note, telling him that I've gone out and that Emma's in the guest room, on his nightstand where I knew he'd find it.

I walked out of his room quietly and padded down the hall to the guest room. I cracked open the door and peered inside to make sure Emma was still asleep. When I saw that she was, I entered and walked over to the side of her bed. Looking down at her, looking so peaceful, I had to stifle the urge to reach out and touch her face, and kiss her head like I had done to Henry. Or perhaps it was an urge to suffocate her with a pillow. I've been wrong before. I gently placed the water and pills down on the nightstand. They had been an afterthought this morning. I knew Henry would probably wake up first and rush in after reading his note, and given the state Emma was in when she went to bed last night, she was going to be hurting. It wasn't for Emma sake, I just wanted to make sure she was in a fit state to look after Henry. Emma had shifted in her sleep while I stood there, causing the blankets to pull off her revealing her nearly bare chest. I let out a breath and pulled the sheets back over her, damning my hands for shaking. I let my fingers ghost over her collarbone, but then snapped my hand back quickly. _Stop that. It's creepy. _I placed the letter down next to the water. In the letter, I told Emma that I was going out and she was to watch Henry and make him breakfast and to try to not burn the house down in the process. I also told her to help herself to any clothes in my closet she may need.

Once all that was taken care of, I left the house quietly and slipped into my car. I'm now pulling up outside of Granny's Bed and Breakfast. I notice a truck parked out front that I don't recognize. It must belong to Charlotte. _How did I miss that yesterday? _I pull in behind the truck and check my appearance in rearview mirror. _Perfect. _It's not like I'm trying to impress her, it's the intimidation factor that I'm going for. I grab my purse, get out of my car, slamming the door behind me, and march confidently into the bed and breakfast. The door chimes as I push it open and Granny looks up in surprise.

"Madame Mayor, what can I do for you?" She asks sweetly.

I step closer to her, and fix her with my most pleasant smile. "I was hoping to talk to Miss Hurst, is she here?"

"Yes. Yes, of course. Room 204." She waves a hand in the direction of the stairs.

"Thank you." I smile and turn on my heel. _This is how the town should run. _Everyone should be compliant and know their place.

I knock sharply on her door and tap my foot while I wait for her to open it.

"Regina!" She opens the door looking shocked. "What are you doing here?" Her eyes rank down my body and I smirk. _Yeah, I've still got it._

"Charlotte." I use my most persuasive voice. "May I come in?" I pose it as a question, but leave no room for her to argue as I step forward.

"Uh, sure." She closes the door behind me and stands awkwardly beside her bed. "What's up?"

"What's up? What's up is last night, Miss Swan asked you to leave, yet here you are. Why is that?"

"I'm here for Emma." The way her voice cracks only fuels me on.

"See here's the problem with that, Emma doesn't want you." I puff myself up, feeling a rant coming on. "Allow me to refresh your memory, dear. You gave her a chance to leave with you last night, but she turned you down. Which means you lost. Emma chose us, and now you're going to go back to Boston, and leave my _family _alone."

It's been a while since I've really yelled at someone. I enjoy the rush it brings and the frightened look on Charlotte's face.

"You don't love her." It seems she's found her voice. Oh good, it's no fun when they don't fight back. "You said it yourself last night, that you two aren't together. Why are you stopping her from being happy? She was happy with me in Boston."

Her words sting, but only for a second. "That's where you're wrong, dear. Do you know what happened after you left last night? Emma came home with us, her family. We spent the night together," Not exactly a lie. "And right now, she's most likely making _our _son breakfast and watching Saturday morning cartoons." I step closer to her, invading her person space. "You try and tell me she's not happy. I dare you."

I can tell I've won by the look in her eyes and the way her shoulders slump forward. _Ah, power. _

"If you hurt her I'll…" I can tell she's trying to sound intimidating, but it's really quite pathetic.

"You'll what?" I laugh.

"Never mind. Don't worry, Regina, I'm leaving. Just take care of her, okay?" Her pleading and her sad face would break my heart, if I had one.

"I will." And with that I turn sharply and walk quickly out of building. I don't pause to catch my breath until I'm outside. It's been a while since I've had a fight. _I've missed that. _

Now that that's taken care of, I decide to get on with some of my other mayoral duties. I walk across the street to Granny's Diner to be seen out and about. A good Mayor doesn't just hide in her office all the time. However, I vow to keep this visit as short as possible. I actually want to go home and it surprises me to find the idea of Emma and Henry there waiting for me exciting. Charlotte is going home alone, and I'm going home to my family.

A large grin spreads across my face as I walk into the restaurant. I smile around to the townspeople, most of whom look positively frightened of me. Few smile back, but none stop me for a chat. _Good. I'll get home faster. _I reach the counter to see the side of Ruby, bent over the bar and flirting with someone on the other side.

"Two coffees please, Ruby. To go."

Ruby spins around to smile mischievously at me. "Coming right up, Madame Mayor!" She busies herself with the coffee pot and pours two cups full. I pull out my wallet to pay but she waves me off. "It's on the house. So, two cups this week? That's different. Did you have a nice night with Emma?" I want to smack the smirk off her face. Ruby always seems to know too much.

"I don't believe that's any of your business, dear." I take my coffees and go to leave, but I'm stopped by a distressed looking Mary Margaret standing right behind me.

"Regina, have you seen Emma? I last talked to her after school yesterday, she said she was going to have dinner with you, but she never came home, and she's not returning any of my calls…"

"Miss Blanchard." I cut her off. "Sheriff Swan is fine. She stayed at my house last night, I'm sure she simply forgot to call."

"At your house? Why?" She looks even more worried now. Apparently her being at my house is even worse than her being missing.

"It's what Henry wanted." And me. But I don't add that. I notice Ruby listening beside us. "I believe you have a bar to tend, Ruby." I snap, and she walks off. I turn back to Mary.

"I'll make sure to have Emma call you." Her eyebrow quirks up when I use Emma's name. "Now if you'll excuse me."

I step around her, and have to stop myself from running to my car, and then from speeding all the way home. Okay, I speed a little. But I'm the freaking Mayor, and the Sheriff is at my house. I slow down and try to think. _Why am I in such a rush? _I already know the answer. I know what's waiting for me at home. It's what I always wanted, family, a happy ending. It's true, I never would have pictured Emma fitting into my happy ending, but somehow she's wormed herself in and I can't seem to get rid of her, or to even want to. It's what's best for Henry.

"For Henry." I repeat to myself. It's become a sort of mantra for me these past few months. Any time I felt the urge to fight with Miss Swan or I'd feel that ache whenever Henry chose her over me I'd repeat it over and over again. I haven't had to say it too often recently though. Now that I'm not holding onto Henry so tight he doesn't have to choose her over me. He has two parents now.

I allow myself to get lost in my thoughts and soon enough I'm opening up my front door and I'm greeted by the sounds of two people laughing. I'm overcome with the most emotion, that's not anger, that I've felt in a very long time. I kick off my heels and go find the sources of the laughter.

I stop in the doorway of the family room and just let the scene sink in. Emma's sitting on the far side of the couch wearing her jeans from yesterday and one of my plain black sweaters and Henry's sitting on the floor at her feet. I clear my throat and both of them look up, smiling.

"Hey mom!" Henry says before turning back to the TV.

"Hey," Emma grins and pats the leather couch cushion beside her and then rests her arm along the back of the couch.

I pad over and take a seat close to her and tuck my feet up underneath me. I hand Emma one of the coffees before reaching down and trying to flatten Henry's hair.

"You've been messing it up again." I smile at Emma.

"Well I wouldn't have to if you'd stop fixing it all the time." She shoots back, but with a laugh. I see Henry staring at us, but he turns away once the commercials are done.

"Thanks." Emma says softly beside me.

I lean my head back on her arm and she drops her hand onto my shoulder. I don't know how this foreign action could feel so comfortable, but it does. "For what?"

"Mm… For a lot actually. The coffee, letting me stay last night, the water and aspirin this morning, just to name a few."

"I really am quite wonderful aren't I?" She just laughs. "You're welcome, thank you for watching Henry." I reach out and play with the bottom of her shirt. "I like this on you." _Subtle. What brilliant thing am I going to say next? "But it'd look better on my floor?"_

"Me too."

"So, Henry, what did Emma make you for breakfast, hm?"

"Pancakes." He replies without turning away from his show.

"Were they good?"

"Mmhmm."

"There's more in the kitchen if you're hungry." Emma says quietly. Her mouth very close to my ear.

"Who knew you could cook? Thank you for not burning the house down by the way."

"I'm just full of surprises." She's got that same seductive tone she had last night at dinner. _"Help yourself." "I plan to." _I shiver at the memory. Emma takes that as me being cold and grabs the blanket off the back of the couch and spreads it over our laps, and over Henry's head. He giggles and pushes it off. Emma rests her head on mine and pulls me closer.

"I ran into Mary Margaret at Granny's. I believe she thinks I've kidnapped you. You should call her."

"Mm… later. I'm comfy." She snuggles in closer. I begin to think we've both lost our minds. Our relationship has taken a very dramatic turn in the past 24 hours. I might be taking this too far. I try to tell myself that I just wanted to prove to Charlotte I could get Emma to pick me, which I've done. But the reassurance is nice. She's still here, she doesn't have to be, in fact she shouldn't be, but she is. She also doesn't have to be this close to me, but she sure is. My body betrays my mind and I lean in closer. My left arm pressed up against her side and my knees are resting on her thigh. I'm glad we're covered by the blanket, somehow just this small amount of contact feels intimate, and I don't want Henry seeing.

I finish off my coffee and lean over Emma to put the empty cup on the side table. I hear her suck in a breath and I smile. _This is interesting._Once settled again I turn my attention to the television.

"So explain this to me." I ask no one in particular.

"Explain what?" Emma asks me.

I wave my hand towards the television. "This show. Why is he wearing a helmet?"

"Mom…" Henry sighs. "That's Magneto."

We spend the rest of the morning like this. Emma and I curled up on the couch with Henry explaining his cartoons to us. I think back to when I agreed to the ceasefire, for Henry's sake. But everything's changed now, and I don't think I'm doing this all for Henry anymore.

* * *

><p>Eventually, long after my legs have fallen asleep, Henry's stomach lets us know it's lunchtime. I untangle myself from Emma's many limbs and go find him something to eat.<p>

"Where did you go this morning?" I nearly jump out of my skin when Emma speaks. I was too busy making Henry's lunch I didn't even hear her come in.

I turn around with a hand on my chest to see her leaning against the counter.

"I went into town, dear."

"Regina." Emma says with an impatient tone.

"I went to talk to your scoundrel of an ex girlfriend." I grab the rest of the lunch ingredients from the fridge, avoiding Emma's gaze.

"What did you say?" She asks quietly.

"I told her to leave." I reply simply, cutting the bread a little too forcefully.

"And what did she say?" I sigh and give up making the sandwich to look up at Emma.

"She said that you're not happy here. And she would make you happy." _Bring on the reassurance._

Emma doesn't say anything, she just stares at me. I sigh internally and look back down to finish making Henry's lunch.

Suddenly there's a hand on my waist and Emma is very lightly pressed up against my back, barely touching me, yet I can feel her proximity all through my body.

"She's wrong you know." My brain short circuits when I feel her breath on my ear. I grip the knife in my hand tighter to stop it from shaking. I take a deep breath and try to compose myself as much as I can. Damn her for doing this to me.

"Well of course she's wrong, she's an imbecile." I'm pleased when my voice comes out strong, a little deep, but strong. "And I'd suggest you back up, Sheriff, I do have a knife in my hand after all."

She only moves closer, every place she's touching me feels like it's on fire. Her grip tightens on my waist. "Don't push me away, Regina. Not when you worked so hard to get me to stay." And with that she's gone. She's almost out of the kitchen by the time I realize what's happened.

"I'm going to go call Mary Margaret, let her know I'm not being held here against my will." She gives me a pointed look and then she's gone.

I lean against the counter for support, drawing a shaky breath and running a hand through my hair. _What the hell was that?_

* * *

><p>Wow, thank you to all who subscribed, commented and added it as a favorite, it means so much! I'm going to keep trying my hardest to make updates as frequently as possible, your comments really encourage me to keep going, so thank you again! Hope you liked it!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Emma's POV**

As soon as I'm out of the kitchen I have to grab the wall to keep me upright. I'm all jittery and high on adrenalin. _What the hell was that? _I have no idea what provoked me to stand so close and to touch so intimately someone who, up until yesterday, I considered to be an acquaintance at best. Sure, we had our truce, and a shared love for a son we both called ours, but any time we ever spent together before last night was, more often than not, extremely volatile. Sure, our fights always left me a little hot and bothered, but she had been the enemy, and the only reason I stayed here was to protect Henry. _Now I'm flirting and touching and… wanting?_

I had always enjoyed pushing Regina's buttons, but _this? _This was a whole new kind of button pushing. And that time on the couch? That felt so comfortable, so familiar. The way Regina molded against me, lighting the places our skin touched on fire. Regina had been so relaxed too. I've never seen that side of her before. I've never seen her lower her guard once, but last night on the bed it was as if she was naked. No walls, no protection, just a bare Regina. I liked it, and I wanted to be there for her, to prove to her I wasn't going anywhere. Perhaps this is what I've been fighting for, just to see the real person behind the Mayor's walls. _This is going to be difficult. _

I push off the wall and head upstairs to find fourteen missed calls on my phone. All from Mary Margaret. _Whoops. _I hit call back and the first ring is barely over before she picks up.

"Emma?" She sounds worried. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine, Mary Margaret. I'm still at Henry's. He wanted me to stay last night, and I had no way home, so Mayor Mills was nice enough to let me stay."

I hear her breathe a sigh of relief. "Well that doesn't sound like her, but I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks, I'm sorry I missed all your calls."

"That's okay, are you coming home now, or are you going into work today?" Ah, work. I completely forgot about that.

"I think I might head into work for a bit, I can't imagine there's much going on though. Then I'll probably be back home after that. So I'll see you later?"

"You'd better actually make it home this time!"

"I will, bye."

"Goodbye!"

I hang up the phone and sigh, sinking down on the bed. Of course real life would catch up with me eventually. The time on the couch this morning just felt like I was in a whole other world. I get up and collect my belongings. Which is really just a shirt and a jacket. I walk slowly back to the kitchen, really not wanting to leave, knowing that it's going to break this bubble we've created for ourselves. I find Henry sitting at the kitchen table with Regina, eating their lunch.

Regina looks up at me and the first thing I notice is the hard look in her eyes. The guards are back up. _Shit. _How could I tease her like that and then leave? I'm doing the exact thing she was afraid of.

"Would you like me to make you a sandwich, dear? I would have made you one earlier, but I wasn't sure how long you were going to be on the phone." She looks down at the shirt and jacket in my hands, and she pulls her lips into a tight line. "Never mind. It appears that you're leaving."

Henry looks up from his lunch and fixes me with his sad eyes. "You're leaving?"

Ah, this is no good. But what did he expect? For me to just move in? That would be a strange arrangement. The town Sheriff and the Mayor, birth mother and adoptive mother, living in the same house, raising their son while they fight and bicker due to sexual tension. It sounds like a pitch for a sitcom. But Regina and I were getting along last night, and it made Henry happy, could it possibly work? I push the thought away and try to figure out how I'm going to work my way out of this mess with as little causalities as possible. I walk over and kneel down in front of Henry.

"Hey kid, don't look so sad. We had a kickass night -"

"Miss Swan!" Regina squawks, but Henry just laughs.

"Sorry, we had a kickbutt night."

"Still not acceptable." Regina adds quietly, but I just smile at her.

"And this morning was probably one of the best mornings I've ever had."

Regina scoffs, but I reach out and grab her hand, looking her hard in the eye. "No, it's true." I turn back to Henry and grab his hand as well. "You know I have to go back to work at some point. I wouldn't leave if it wasn't my job. And I'm sure the Mayor has enough on her plate without having to deal with a Sheriff who doesn't go to work, doesn't she?" I look back at Regina to see the corners of her mouth tick up. "Henry, you're going to have a fantastic weekend with your mom, and then you've got school, which sucks,"

"Miss Swan." Regina threatens.

"But," I continue. "I get to see you on Tuesday. You'd better start planning something fun to do." My knees are starting to hurt so I stand up and let go of the hands I was holding. I ruffle Henry's hair and when I see Regina open her mouth to speak I have a feeling she's about to tell me off for messing it up, _again_.

"Perhaps, Emma," She speaks slowly, weighing each word. "We could make a weekend out of this? You could come back here after work and spend the night again?"

Henry claps his hands and engulfs Regina in a hug that clearly takes her by surprise. "Really?" He asks, pulling back to see if she's joking.

"If that's what Emma wants, I don't see why it would be a problem." She's eyeing me carefully and I know this is my chance to prove to her that I'm not going anywhere.

"Of course! I'll only be a couple hours at work, then I'll swing by Mary Margaret's to pick up some more clothes so I don't have to steal all yours, and then I'll come back here!"

Henry beams and pulls me down towards him and Regina, pulling the two of us into a hug with him in the middle. I throw and arm around each of them and give them a squeeze before standing back up. I'm pleased to see Regina looking a bit flushed.

"I'll see you two later!"

I walk quickly to the front door, pull on my boots and leave. It's then that I realize I don't have a car. Oh well, a walk will do me good. It's a good thing this place is small enough to walk everywhere. It's cold enough that I catch a chill in just Regina's sweater, so I pull my jacket on and stuff my shirt into its pocket. This feels a bit like a walk of shame, leaving the Mayor's house wearing some of the same clothes from the day before, and one of the Mayor's shirts? I think about what people would think if there was anyone around to see me. And then I realize I don't really give a damn.

The walk to work is nice. This town may certainly have its faults, but there's no denying it's beauty, and there's an underlying good here. I chuckle to myself when I realize that that is the perfect metaphor for Regina as well. My mind switches tracks and I find myself wondering about Charlotte. It's been a few hours since Regina told her to leave, could she already be gone? I still haven't figured out how I feel about her by the time I reach the station.

When I open the front doors I hear the phone ringing inside. I rush in and pick it up at the last second.

"Hello?" I ask, out of breath.

"Emma," The person on the other end sounds distressed. "It's Charlotte, there's been an accident at Granny's B&B, come quick!"

I don't say anything, I just slam the receiver down and run into my office and unlock the safe with my gun and badge, and then I take off out of the building. I don't bother with my car, running will be faster. All sorts of images of what could have happened flash through my head. Is something wrong with Charlotte, or Granny? I run faster and cut across the road, luckily there are no cars coming. When I reach Granny's I yank the door open and run inside. No one's at the front desk. I call out for Granny or Charlotte but there's no response. I walk quickly around the desk and look at the guest book. The only occupant, Charlotte, is in room 204. I tear up the stares, only slowing down when I get to the door, which is open a crack. I kick open the door, drawing my gun.

"This is the Sheriff!" I yell and look quickly around the room for any signs of trouble. But all I find is Charlotte sitting calmly on her bed.

"Well, that was fast, _Sheriff._" She smiles at me.

I lower my gun, panting. "Charlotte, what's the emergency?"

"I wanted to see you." She says simply.

"You -" I keel over trying to steady my breath and to get rid of the cramp in my side. "You called in an emergency because you wanted to see me?"

"Yes. I figured you wouldn't show up if I asked. I had to make sure you'd come."

I stand up still clutching my side. "You're crazy. That's crazy. And illegal!"

"So arrest me." She holds her hands out in front of her and bats her eyelashes.

"You're flirting with me? Was Regina and I both telling you to go home really that hard for you to understand? There's no room here for you Charlotte." I spit my words at her.

"Regina doesn't want you." She fires back with just as much venom. "This is a game for her. Think about it Emma, did she ever show _any _interest in you before I turned up? I asked around, everyone here says the same thing. You two hate each other." She stands up from her bed and moves closer to me. I take a step back towards the window. "I want you, I'm here for you. You don't belong here Emma. You may think you do, you may be having fun playing _house _with Regina and your _son, _but you're not cut out for this. I told Regina I'd leave but that was just to pacify her. Now you and I are free to go back to what it was like before."

I throw up my hands, gun still clutched tightly in one. Her words have hit me like a ton of bricks. I don't want to believe her, but she's managed to hit on every doubt I've had about this thing with Regina. What I say next is partially to convince Charlotte, and partially to convince myself as well. "I don't want to go back to Boston with you! We weren't even a couple! You were merely a fuck buddy! I don't understand why you think you can just come here and - _hrumf." _My sentence is cut off by her lips crashing against mine. I stumble backwards into the window, hard. Her hand finds it's way into my hair before I fully understand what's happening. I push her away roughly and back away towards the door.

"Leave." Is all I can manage to say before I slam the door shut behind me. I'm glad she doesn't chase after me. I really don't want to have to arrest her, I just want her gone. Once outside I wipe my mouth on the sleeve of my jacket and spit on the ground. I feel dirty and I need a good shower. _Fuck. _How am I going to explain this to Regina? Thoughts of Regina taking off my shirt last night and our time together on the couch this morning pop into my head. _How could I have let this happen? _I should have just left when I saw there was no emergency. Now I might have just messed up the best thing I have in my life.

I need to talk to someone. I pull out my phone and call the only person I can think of.

"Mary Margaret, I've done something horrible."

* * *

><p><strong>Regina's POV<strong>

If anyone were to ask, I'd tell them that I'm in my study writing up the new town newsletter, but really I'm just sitting in my chair daydreaming about Emma Swan. Regina Mills, Mayor and Creator of Storybrooke, reduced to acting like a schoolgirl with a crush. It's pathetic really, but I can't seem to stop. I'm glad Henry's at Dr. Hopper's so he doesn't have to see me acting this way.

I'm thankful for the distraction when I hear the doorbell ring. Fantasizing about Miss Swan is nice and all, but it's also incredibly… _frustrating_. I get up from my chair, smoothing my skirt down and running a hand through my hair when the doorbell rings again. _This had better be good. _I check the peephole before opening the door. _Uh oh. _I pull open the door, plastering on a smile.

"Mr. Glass! To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

He holds up a giant camera in his hand, waving it around.

"Ohh… you're going to want to see this!" He steps forward uninvited into the house. But my curiosity gets the better of me so I allow him to stay and I close the door behind him.

"What are you taking about, Mr. Glass?" I snap.

"Patience, patience!" He looks around, for what, I don't know. "Perhaps it might be best if we go somewhere a little more, private?"

"My study will be fine." I lead Sidney to the study and I take a seat at my desk, waving vaguely towards a chair on the opposite side. I don't offer him anything to eat or drink, as I don't want him to stay long. I've got more important things to do later.

"Are you going to tell me what you've found, or not?" I reach my hand out for the camera.

He hands it over reluctantly, as if it were his most prized possession. _He must have really found something good. _

I turn the camera on and call up the most recent pictures. What I see turns my blood to ice. And then my blood boils as I scan through more of the same pictures, watching it happen in reverse. _Emma and Charlotte. _Emma and Charlotte kissing. I sneer at the camera as if it caused this to happen and then I look up at Sidney.

"When?" Is all I get out through gritted teeth.

"Just a few moments ago, I came right over." That should hurt me, but I can't feel anything but pure rage at the moment.

"What happened?"

"I was walking down the street when I saw Sheriff Swan blaze past me and turn the corner. I tried to follow her, but by the time I managed to go around the corner I had lost her. I'm standing outside of -"

"Spit it out already!"

"Okay, okay. I heard a loud bang from across the street, and I looked up and saw Sheriff Swan and this mystery woman kissing against the window. I'm lucky I had my camera with me."

"Yes, _lucky_. What happened after?"

"Well…" He stammers. I want to smack him, but I need to hear what he has to say first. "I thought you'd want to see these, so I left quickly, I didn't see what happened next."

"You imbecile! Is there a brain under that retched hat? Why would you not wait to see what happened next? Did it not cross your mind to figure out why our town Sheriff was kissing a woman with a gun in her hand? Go! Get out! And don't even think about mentioning this to anybody."

He looks terrified and his hands are shaking when he stands up and holds out his hand to take the camera.

"Oh no. This stays with me. Now get the hell out!"

I grip the arms of my chair so hard I'm surprised they don't break. She's been gone less than half an hour and already she's kissing another woman? I'm livid. I find that I'm not angry with Emma though. No, I'm only angry with one person here. And she's going get what's coming to her. How dare she try to take what's mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Emma's POV<strong>

"So let me get this straight. Your ex, who's a woman, shows up to convince you to go back to Boston, Mayor Mills gets angry so you tell her to leave, then you spend the night at the Mayor's house because she got you drunk and touched your stomach?" Mary Margaret looks scandalized at everything she's just said.

I pull a pillow over my face and groan into it.

"I can't hear you with that covering your mouth. Come on, you need to talk to me." Mary says kindly as she tugs the pillow off.

I continue to stare at the ceiling, this is incredibility embarrassing. "Yes. And she took care of me, and we were like a family. You don't understand. I've never had anything close to a family. Henry calls us his 'moms'. As in two mothers. Regina and I, we could do that. We could raise Henry. I know she wants it. At least, I think she does. She does. Doesn't she?" All my words come out too quickly, I don't even know if they make sense. "But she's scared. And when she's scared she's…"

"A bitch?"

"Mary Margaret!" I'd hit her with the pillow if she hadn't taken it from me.

"I'm sorry! I don't see what you've done that's so horrible yet."

"I'm getting there." I grumble.

"Okay. So wait, you said earlier Regina went to see Charlotte this morning? And told her to leave? That seems like a good thing to me…"

"It is. But Charlotte lied to her. She said she was leaving, but then Charlotte called the station today and said there was an emergency, and when I got to her room she kissed me!" I throw my arm over my face and groan again.

"What are you going to do?" Mary pulls my arm away from my face gently from her spot on the floor.

"I don't know! I want Regina. Oh God. I want Regina." I knew before, but saying it aloud just made it real.

"Hey," Mary lightly brushes the hair away from my face. "That's okay. I mean, I don't get it, but it's okay. What's stopping you, though?"

"It's something Charlotte said. I know I shouldn't have listened to her, but what she said dug into me."

"What did she say?"

"She said that this is just a game for Regina, that she's only doing this because Charlotte turned up."

"Do you think that's true?" Mary asks quietly.

"I don't know! It makes more sense than anything else I can think of. What if she's just trying to set me up to get rid of me again? I can't leave here. I've got you," Mary Margaret looks touched. "And Henry. God I can't leave that kid. You should have seen how sad he was this morning, and I was only leaving to go to work!"

"Would you like my opinion?"

"Yes! Please."

"Even though the Mayor and I have our, differences. I really don't think she'd go through all this trouble just to get you to leave. It seems like she has a lot at stake as well from what you said about your conversation in bed last night. I just don't think she'd open herself up that much to someone she's about to kick out of the town. Does that help?"

"Yes. I still don't know what to do though. Mary Margaret, tell me what to do." I beg.

She laughs softly. "I think you should tell her how you feel."

After lying on the couch grumbling for a little while, I decide Mary's right, I have to tell Regina how I feel. I get up quickly, frightening Mary Margaret who was sitting on the chair next to me reading.

I dash upstairs and quickly fill a bag with pajamas for tonight and clothes for tomorrow, I toss in my toiletries and then take a quick shower, changing into new clothes, but keeping Regina's sweater on. Once I'm all done, and feeling much better, I head back downstairs.

"You're spending the night?" Mary looks up over her book.

"I hope so. She asked me to earlier, so if all goes well, then yes." I nervously jiggle the keys in my hand.

"Well then I hope I don't see you tonight." I let out a nervous laugh.

"Thank you. For listening. I promise I'll explain more later."

"Anytime."

I walk over to the door.

"Hey Emma?" I turn around to face Mary Margaret.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you decided to stay."

"Me too."

* * *

><p>The drive over to the Mayor's house feels like it takes forever. I know I drive recklessly to get there, but I need to see Regina before I lose my nerve. But when Regina answers the front door with that familiar death glare all the words I had planned die on my tongue.<p>

"Hello, dear." She holds the door open and steps aside, letting me come in. The door shuts with a snap behind me. "How was work?" Her voice sounds pleasant, but her eyes tell a different story. I know that look. I can see the rage boiling under the surface, ready to spill over.

"Fine. Uh, look Regina, I have something I have to say."

She doesn't say anything. Instead she just turns quickly and walks off towards the study. Unsure of what else to do, I follow her in there. She's already behind her desk by the time I get there.

"Regina? Are you okay?" I ask hesitantly.

She doesn't reply again, she just picks up a camera that I think belongs to Sidney and presses a few buttons before holding it out to me. I take a few steps forward until I can reach it, but I try to stay as far away from Regina as possible. Even with a desk between us that look in her eyes scares me a little. When I look down at the picture on the screen of the camera I feel my stomach plunge.

My eyes flick from the camera to Regina's face, which has so many emotions running across it I couldn't even begin to name them.

"Whe- where did you get these?" I stutter.

"Never mind how I got them. What the hell did you think you were doing? After last night, and that little _show _in the kitchen, you leave my house, and my son, to go see your _girlfriend_?" Her voice is pure, undiluted rage.

"She's not my girlfriend! She kissed me, Regina!" I'm aware of how cliché that sounds, but there's nothing else I can think of to say.

Regina's stepping around her desk, I want to back up but my legs don't seem to be working.

"What happened to not leaving, hm? What happened to 'for Henry'? Do you really think this is what's best for him?" She gestures wildly towards the camera in my hands. "You running away and leaving him here? Or were you going to try and take him with you?" Her voice has risen in pitch and she's shouting. I've never seen her lose it like this.

I manage to get my legs to work, but instead of backing up I take a step forward. I put the camera down on a chair and raise my arms towards Regina.

"Don't you dare! I want you out! I want you gone!" She's shaking now.

"No you don't." One step forward. "I'm not leaving. Think about it, Regina." Another step forward. "Why would I be here if I was going to leave?" With one more step I'm standing right in front of her. "I'm not leaving you." I breathe.

"This isn't about me. This is about -"

"Henry. I know. But for me, it's about Henry, and you. It's about us, our family."

This time she lets me put my arms around her, she lets me hold her. She doesn't move at first, and I don't either. Eventually, I feel her head drop to my shoulder and I hold her tighter. Her breathing is uneven and ragged. I don't know how long we stay like that, but I never let go. I just hold her and rub circles on her back. She never makes a sound. I wonder if she's crying. The idea of that is terrifying. Once I work up the nerve, I lightly kiss her hair. "I'm not leaving, Regina." I punctuate my mumbles with more light kisses to her head. "You don't have to trust me right away. But I'm going to be here, day in and day out, to prove to you that I'll never leave you." I feel her arms snake around my waist and she grips tightly to the back of my jacket. I pull her in even closer. "I'm so sorry, Regina." The phone on her desk rings, but we both ignore it. I'm too absorbed with the way her body fits perfectly in my arms, the smell of her dark, silky hair, and the way she's holding on so tightly to me. Nothing has ever felt more right than this. Eventually, her breathing returns to normal, but I never consider pulling away. Until my pocket starts to vibrate. The sudden sound seems to snap Regina back to reality. She pulls back and quickly turns away. I pull out my phone.

"It's Henry. I wouldn't get it if it were anyone else." She doesn't reply. She just puts her hands on her desk, bent forward.

"Hey kid." I say quickly.

"Hey Emma, are you with my mom?"

His question stuns me, does he think we're together?

"Emma? Are you at my house?"

Ohh… That's what he meant.

"Uh, yeah, I'm here, everything okay? Where are you?" I thought he had been in the house the whole time.

"I'm at Dr. Hopper's. Mom was supposed to pick me up, but she's not here, and no one answered the home phone."

"Oh shoot. Sorry kid, that's my fault. We were talking, I guess we lost track of time." The excuse isn't perfect, but it's the best I could come up with. I eye Regina, she still hasn't moved. "We'll come get you now."

"Okay, see you soon!" I hang up and take a step toward Regina.

"Regina?" I put my hand on her arm and I'm relieved when she doesn't pull away. She turns around, no signs of tears, she looks perfect as always, maybe a little tired.

"Come on," I slide my hand down her arm and take hold of her hand. "Let's go get our son."

"I'm driving."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

The ride is silent, but it feels like something has shifted between us. She doesn't pull away when I put my hand on top of her hand she has resting on her thigh, even when I run the pad of my thumb along the side of it. When we pull up out front of Dr. Hopper's building, she flips her hand over and laces her fingers with mine. I watch her stare at them for a few seconds, a tiny smile playing at the edge of her mouth. I give her hand a gentle squeeze as if to say '_I'm right here' _and she squeezes back even harder. Of course she does. Nonetheless, it makes me smile.

"For Henry." I say gently, trying to catch her eye.

"No." I tilt my head in confusion. "For our son." My heart flutters. _Yeah, I made the right choice. _But when her eyes meet mine, I realize there was never any competition.

There's a knock on the window and Henry's standing outside the car grinning. I wonder how long he's been standing there.

I hear the doors unlock and he slides in.

"Hi moms."

I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing that.

"Hello Henry, how was your session?"

"Good. Can we have pizza for dinner?"

"Actually kid, since your mom's been nice enough to let me stay this weekend, I thought you and I would make her dinner. How does that sound?"

"Awesome! That's even better than pizza!"

I hear Regina groan in the seat beside me. "You two are going to destroy my kitchen."

* * *

><p>Again, a huge thank you to everyone reading and subscribing and commenting on this story. Your reaction has completely blown me away!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Regina's POV**

When I hear a crash I just about jump out of my chair. I try to simply ignore it and wonder how I'm going to survive this wait. Henry and Emma had pushed me into my study as soon as we got home. Henry had made me promise him that I would stay here until dinner was ready and Emma had threatened to handcuff me to my chair. As much as I protested, I was appreciative of the time it gave me to think, which I desperately needed.

Yesterday seemed like eons ago. In the course of 24 long hours I've found out Emma is, well, I'm not sure what she is. Bisexual I suppose. Doesn't matter. Emma had a girlfriend in Boston, and now said girlfriend is trying to get Emma to leave me. No, leave us.

Also a new development: these feelings for the Sheriff. Well, if I'm being honest, they're not exactly new. I've always felt a burning in my core whenever we fought and inevitably ended up in each other's personal space. Yet I never would have thought about acting on these wanton desires. Dreams didn't count as thoughts, did they? Because there had certainly been dreams. So maybe, this was anything but new. The jealousy was new though. I had never been jealous of whatever had transpired between Miss Swan and Sheriff Graham. I had simply killed him because he was staring to remember. I couldn't have that. It was most definitely not jealousy. But this Charlotte person, she needed to be taken down.

Good. Those feelings were easy enough to deal with. Except, of course, when Emma needs help taking her clothes off, or sneaks up behind me. Then it gets infinitely harder to quell the burn. But these other feelings. The fear, and the hurt. They were more complicated. Seeing those pictures Sidney had brought over, it felt like my chest had been torn wide open. They made me doubt everything Emma's ever said, ever promised. I've never lost my composure the way I did with her earlier. It was frightening, the things that woman could make me feel. But the way she held me helped me regain some semblance of trust and hope. My goodness, I'm a mess.

There's a knock at the door and I'm thankful for the interruption. My head is too ruinous of a place to deal with at the moment. The door opens and I see Emma standing there in a tight red dress. My dress.

"Is that my-" I begin to say before the blonde cuts me off.

"It sure is. Thank you for letting me borrow it."

"I never said you could."

"That's okay." She walks towards me and holds out her hand. "Your dinner is ready, my lady." She does a little curtsy and I curse my brain for thinking about how adorable it is.

I take her hand and let her lead me into the dinning room, which we only use for special occasions. Henry's standing beside the lavishly decorated table wearing his good clothes, complete with a tie and the biggest smile I have ever seen on his young face.

"What's all this?" I look around, stunned. There are candles on the table and the nice china is out.

"We wanted to have a special dinner, with the three of us." Henry says as he beams at Emma and pulls out a chair. Emma nudges me towards it.

"Thank you, Henry." I say, sitting down and tucking in to the table.

"My pleasure." Emma pulls out the chair at the head of the table for Henry and pushes him in. I get distracted watching her the muscles in her arms flex. _Perhaps she should go sleeveless more often.  
><em>  
>"I'll be right back." She breezes past me, lightly brushing my shoulder. There's a glass of wine in front of me, so I take a sip.<p>

"What are we having for dinner, dear?" I ask Henry.

"You'll see!"

Just then Emma walks in with a large, covered serving platter. The one I usually use to house the turkey on Christmas or Thanksgiving. She sets it down in the middle of the table and whisks off the lid.

"Burgers?" I scoff.

"Hey," Emma chastises. "Don't knock 'em 'till you try 'em. Henry and I made them from scratch." She smiles at him, then disappears back into the kitchen.

"They have apples on them!" Henry looks so proud.

"Well, they do smell delicious, dear."

Emma's back again with another tray, this one full of french fries, which also appear to be homemade.

"Now you don't have to steal mine." Emma jokes as she walks around the table and takes a seat across from me. I feel her foot bump mine.

We all load up our plates, after I warn them to be delicate with the china. We're about to start eating when Henry clatters his fork against his crystal glass. He sends me an apologetic look in return of my cautionary glare.

"A toast." I want to roll my eyes, but he looks so happy, and Emma's already raising her glass, egging him on, so I raise my glass as well. I can't look like the bad guy all the time. It's clear by the look on his face that he doesn't know what to say next. Perhaps he didn't think I'd let him get this far.

"To family?" I suggest.

"To family!" He and Emma repeat back.

And then we 'dig in'. I'm reluctant to admit it, but it's all very good, however unhealthy it may be. I can see Emma and Henry staring at me, waiting for my reaction.

"Mmm. Henry, Emma, this is wonderful. Thank you." They both cheer and high five each other before they start eating their own meals.

The conversation flows easily between mouthfuls. I can't help but compare this dinner to the dinners with Henry just a few days ago, when having dinner with just the two of us was a chore for him, and they were mostly silent. Now there is laughter and plans being made for other dishes they can learn how to make. The most surprising thing however, is the way I'm included in the conversations. I always knew Henry and Emma had an easy rapport, one that I was never quite able to build with Henry, despite years of trying. It was one that used to make me seethe at the way it came so naturally between the two of them. But sitting here now, easily joining in on the conversation, I'm thankful for Emma's presence.

I take another bite of my burger. It really is delicious with the apple on the top. I look up to see Emma watching me, and something in my stomach stirs. I finish chewing and wipe my face delicately with a cloth napkin. They really did go all out.

"I do hope you procured these apples in a more dignified manner than the last time, dear."

A faint blush creeps across Emma's features. "Of course. I picked them with the upmost care."

Now I feel a warmth spread across my face as I continue to gaze at Emma.

Henry clears his throat, snapping us out of our staring competition. "Can I have another one?"

"_May _you have another one." Emma corrects him before I can. We all looked shocked, and then Henry turns to me and laughs.

"Oh no, you're rubbing off on her."

If our faces were rosy before, they're scarlet now. Emma takes a hasty drink of her water to hide her face and I use my napkin. We're lucky Henry's too preoccupied with getting another burger to notice. I look across the table and catch Emma's eye, but quickly look away, afraid to make things any more awkward. Her foot gently bumps mine again and I look back to her. There's a sparkle in her eyes and a shy smile on her lips. I run my hand through my hair and give my head a shake to clear it.

"Don't eat too much, kid. You've got to save room for dessert." Emma adds with a wink towards Henry.

"You made dessert too?" I'm impressed, and slightly worried about the state of my precious kitchen.

"We sure did. In fact, if you're done, I'll clear this up and go get it." She stands up, grabbing her plate and walking around the table to collect mine.

"You don't have to clean up too, you've already done quite enough." But she just takes my plate and stacks it on hers. "Thank you." I say quietly.

"Hey, it's no problem, tonight's for you Madame Mayor." Henry nods in agreement, but does speak due to the large amount of food in his mouth.

Emma comes back in a minute later with yet another plate, this time it's full of cookies, which smell amazing. She offers me one from the plate before setting it on the table and walking back over to the seat.

"They're apple cinnamon cookies!" Henry exclaims before grabbing two.

"Fresh from the oven." Emma says, taking one for herself.

I bite into the cookie. "Mmm…"

"Good?" Emma asks through a mouthful of her own cookie.

"Amazing." I reply, earnestly. "We might have to keep you around if you keep cooking this well."

"Sounds good to me." Emma smiles.

"And me!" Henry adds, reaching for another cookie. I dart my hand out and move the plate from his grasp.

"That's enough for tonight, I think."

Henry pouts, but soon realizes neither Emma nor I are giving in. "Can we at least watch an episode of Batman before bed?"

"That's fine. Why don't you go start it with Emma? I'll clean up here and then go see what state you've left my kitchen in."

"No way. I already told you, Regina, I'm cleaning up. We'll all go watch Batman together."

I find it hard to argue when she smiles at me the way she does. _Well that's a first. _We all get up and I follow Emma into the family room. I run my eyes down the back of her, she should really wear dresses more often. I have to pry my eyes away from her, ah, _assets _once we get into the family room.

Emma sits down on one side of Henry and I take the other. I can't remember the last time Henry asked to spend time with me after dinner. He picks up the remote and turns Batman on and then tugs at his tie. I give him a hand taking it off.

"Did you tie this yourself?"

He glances quickly at me before turning back to his show. "No, I tried, but it just fell apart. Emma did it for me, I did up her dress."

"Teamwork." Emma adds.

I turn back to the show and try to watch but I don't understand a thing that's going on, and Henry's given up trying to explain it to me. Instead, I take advantage of his good mood, and swing and arm around him, reveling in the fact that he doesn't tense or pull away. I feel Emma run her arm along the back of the couch, pressing it against mine. Near what I think is the end of the episode, I feel her fingers brush some loose hair away from my face and tuck it behind my ear. My eyes flutter closed and I enjoy this moment. After such a tiresome day, I welcome the calm.

Once the show ends, Henry flicks off the tv and turns to me. "Will you put me to bed, mom?" I'm so shocked it takes me a few seconds to respond.

"Of course, Henry." I look over his head at Emma, I have a feeling she has something to do with this, but I'm so thankful I don't say anything.

"I'll tidy up everything down here, go on." Emma says.

I follow Henry up the stairs and help him out of his suit and into his pajamas.

"Thank you." Henry says.

I finish hanging his suit in his closet before sitting down next to him on his bed. I resist the urge to smooth down his hair that Emma has obviously had her hands in. It actually looks cute like this, but I'll never admit that to either of them.

"For what?" I ask.

"For letting Emma stay this weekend."

I knew that was coming. "You're welcome, Henry. I know how happy she makes you. And whether you believe it or not, when you are happy, I'm happy."

"I don't want her here just because I like having her here, mom. I want her here because I like spending time with the two of you together. Don't you see? We're all happiest when we're together. It's what makes us family."

His words leave me speechless. Of course it makes perfect sense, I just don't understand how he figured it out before I did. "You're too smart for your own good, you know that?"

He throws his hands up in front of him in a very Emma-like fashion and lies down on the bed. "Hey, you raised me."

"I sure did." I laugh. "Would you like Emma to come up to say goodnight as well?"

"Is that okay?" I smile at his excitement.

"Of course. Let me go get her."

I walk out of his room and walk to the top of the stairs. "Emma?" I call down.

A couple seconds later she's standing at the bottom step looking up. Her cleavage is amazing at this angle. _Stop it._

"Come say goodnight to Henry?"

She doesn't respond, just flies up the stairs as fast as the dress will allow. She takes my hand when she reaches the top, only letting go outside Henry's room.

He's almost asleep by the time I get back, but it's clear he had been trying his hardest to stay awake. I resume my position on the edge of the bed and Emma kneels down in front of Henry.

I speak first. "Thank you, to both of you." I look first Henry, then Emma in the eyes. "For an amazing night." I lean over and press a gentle kiss to his head. "Goodnight, Henry."

"Night, mom." I stand up and give Emma some room to say goodnight.

She leans over and gives him a kiss on the head as well. "Night, kid. Sleep tight."

"Goodnight… Emma. I'll see you in the morning." She straightens up and walks over beside me.

"You sure will."

We both turn to leave but stop when Henry starts talking again.

"I really need to find a name for you, Emma. I can't call you both mom."

Emma looks like her heart is about to burst, I give her hand a squeeze.

"We'll figure it out. Goodnight, dear."

We walk out of his room and I close the door behind us. I still have Emma's hand in mine. _Now what? _The fact that we're alone now both excites and terrifies me. My mind quickly runs through different scenarios for how tonight is going to play out, but when I catch sight of an odd look in Emma's eyes I stop short.

"Are you okay?" I ask, looking up at her.

"Yeah. Just… happy."

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Me too."

"I'm glad. Uh, everything's cleaned up downstairs. I was thinking we could watch a movie if you want? Or we could talk…"

"No. No talking. A movie sounds fantastic."

"Awesome. I'm going to change out of this dress first. I'm sure you want to get out of that, uh," Her eyes run down my figure, lingering on my chest. I knew this blouse was a good idea this morning. "That outfit. I'll meet your downstairs?"

I nod and turn to head to my bedroom.

"Wait." Emma's hand grabs hold of my forearm and gently pulls me back to face her. I raise a questioning eyebrow and glance down at her hand still on my arm.

Emma lets go and turns her back to me. "Help me with the zipper?"

_Here we go again. Is she truly incapable of removing her own clothes? _She reaches up and sweeps her hair aside, leaving me with a full view of her neck. I swallow hard, trying to keep my hand as steady as possible as I reach out and quickly unzip her dress. I don't allow my fingers to trace down her spine, or to tug the rest of the dress down like I so badly want to. Instead, I turn and walk back to my room only stopping when I reach my door. When I look back, Emma's still standing where I left her. I let out little laugh before I push the door open, step into my room and lightly kick it shut behind me. I lean back against the door for support.

_This is moving far too quickly. _Just a few hours ago I was shouting at her to leave this town, and now I've just essentially told my son he can call Emma 'mom'. That damn woman gets under my skin far too easily. It's dangerous. I think back to those repulsive pictures Sidney brought over earlier. I still have that little problem to deal with as well. And right now, getting rid of a pest sounds a lot easier than dealing with whatever is going on here. But that can wait until tomorrow. I always like to plot revenge after a good night's sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Emma's POV<strong>

Once the sound of Regina's door banging closed has snapped me out of whatever haze I was in, I walk back to my bedroom, mentally kicking myself for whatever _that _was. _You idiot. You've probably scared her away. _I pull off the dress and sink down onto the crazy soft bed. It's going to be hard going back to the hard mattress at Mary Margaret's after this. I swing an arm over my face and think back on everything I've put Regina through today. I got her to let me in and then I completely lost any traction I may have gained when Charlotte kissed me. Then I promised I wasn't leaving, and she seemed to believe me, and now I'm trying to what? Seduce her? I've got to stop fucking with her feelings and just prove to her, and Henry, that I'm not going anywhere. To do that, Charlotte needs to go.

* * *

><p><strong>Regina's POV<strong>

After searching my closet for appropriate lounge wear, which I do not have a lot of, as I'm not a fan of lounging, I settle on a red tank top and black yoga pants that I used to wear when I went running. I check myself out in the mirror. _That'll do._

I leave my room and look down the hall. Emma's door is closed; she must still be in there. Perhaps she is having difficulties getting out of the rest of her dress. I resist the urge to offer my services, instead I go downstairs, finally getting the chance to survey any damage from earlier. I brace myself before walking into the kitchen, but I'm pleasantly surprised. There is no mess. In fact, it looks the exact same as always, save for the dishes drying on the rack in the sink and the plate of cookies on the counter. Perhaps I misjudged the Sheriff's cleanliness. I grab two cookies and head for the family room, taking a seat on the couch to wait for Emma.

I shift in my seat, trying to get comfortable. Eventually, I abandon that endeavor as I'm simply too nervous to relax. It's baffling to me that I'm so nervous. We've spent all day together. Except for when she was kissing that bothersome woman. I push that thought aside and try to plan out what's about to happen. It's always important to have a plan. Excitement ripples through me when I think about the fact that it's going to just be her and I down here on this couch. Part of me wants to jump her as soon as she walks through the doorway, but a larger, more dominant part of me is terrified that if I do, she'll get scared and leave. Or worse, she'll decide she doesn't want me and she'll go find Charlotte. I try to focus on the cookie to distract me but it's no use. Luckily, Emma shows up and my mind goes blank when I see what she's wearing.

"Hmmm," I mumble through a mouthful of cookie. Not my most shining moment, I must say. But those legs. She's wearing green boxer shorts and a tight black tank top. I hold out the other cookie I got for her. She smiles and walks over to take it, but doesn't sit down. She looks just as nervous as I feel.

"What would you like to watch, dear?" I ask, getting up and pulling out the expansive movie drawer.

"Wow," Emma remarks, running her fingers over the titles. "That's quite the collection."

I shrug. "It's something to do after Henry goes to bed."

She gives me a knowing smile and looks back down. "Nothing superhero related please." She says with a laugh. "How about something funny?" She asks.

"Funny is good. _Bridesmaids?"_I pull the case out of the drawer.

"Sounds good to me."

I pop the DVD in and then go join Emma on the couch. I keep a respectable distance between us, not trusting myself to keep my hands from wandering, but somehow we end up side by side under a blanket with her arm around me and my head resting on her chest. She's drawing loose circles on my exposed shoulder and her bare legs are tangled with mine. I've never felt closer with anyone than I do with Emma right now. Not in this world, or the one before. I slink my arm across her waist and hold tight, because for now I have her, and I'm not letting go.

Eventually, the long day gets the better of me and I find my eyes starting to close. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner, given how comfortable I am. The movie's not even half over when Emma pauses it.

"You're falling asleep." She looks down at me and it abruptly hits me how close our faces are. "Why don't we go to bed, hm?"

I can only nod, and tonight it's Emma who supports me up the stairs. Feeling emboldened by my sleepy state I grab her hand and pull her in the direction of my room once we reach the top.

"Why don't you join me in my room tonight, dear?" I lean close, whispering in her ear with my best seductive voice.

"Regina," She says pleadingly, pushing herself away. "I can't."

It feels like she's punched me in the stomach. _It's happening. _What I've been dreading, she's going to tell me she doesn't want to stay here. I try to push her away some more, but she holds on and places a hand on my face, caressing it softly and tilting it gently towards hers.

"I want to. Please don't think that I don't want to, but I want a real shot at making this, making us, work more. I want to do this right, 'Gina. So I can't spend the night with you, not yet. Does that make sense?" Her eyes are so genuine it leaves no room for doubt, no matter how hard I look.

"Yes."

"Good." She leans down and places a kiss on my cheek. "Goodnight, Mayor Mills. I'll see you in the morning."

I rest my hand on my cheek where her lips just were. "Goodnight, Sheriff Swan." I turn away and walk quickly into my room without looking back. Once safely behind the closed door I smile wickedly, a plan already taking shape. _Operation: Woo Emma Swan _has begun.


End file.
